Love and Punishment
by Pockybox
Summary: Sakura has this nasty habit of being late. Syaoran has this habit of helping her out with her punishments. Tomoyo likes to watch their love bloom. She especially likes it when she can catch them on camera. Fluff. SS For Diana.


Authors Notes: Hello minna-san. I haven't actually written fluff since I was fourteen or fifteen so please bear with me. I wrote this while procrastinating from doing my bio lab which is due in less than 12 hours! This is also for my squealing, SS crazed, hopeless romantic friend Diana – who btw, still owes me eight dollars. D

* * *

**Love and Punishment**

Pockybox

* * *

It was raining heavily outside. A young girl sprinted up the steps of her high school, it was too slippery out to risk going on rollerblades – a habit she never quite grew out of. As she entered the building, she folded up her umbrella. The hallways echoed with the tapping of her shoes and the simultaneous slamming of many doors. To no one's surprise, the Clow mistress was once again late for class. Hesitantly, Sakura knocked three times in succession. The door swung open and her history teacher peered out, looking extremely unamused. 

"You're late again Kinomoto-san," Tarou-sensei said sternly.

Sakura bowed deeply.

"I'm very sor-"

"You're always sorry Sakura," he said exasperatedly. "You're a very nice girl but I won't tolerate tardiness in my classroom."

She looked at her feet and held the bow. Water was dripping from her hair. "Please let me in class sensei."

Tarou-sensei rubbed his head in frustration. He addressed the class. "Start reading the introduction on page thirty-five. I'll be collecting homework in a minute, don't think I've forgotten."

He turned to face Sakura once again. He handed her a key.

"Go to the cleaning supply closet. I want you to mop this hallway until it's spotless. Even if you students change your footwear, you still manage to track water and muck everywhere. Once you've finished, you may come into my classroom. I also have some additional homework for you Sakura."

Sakura bowed again. "Thank you sensei!"

The door slammed in her face.

"You never learn do you?" a voice said behind her.

"Oh," she turned around to face her boyfriend who was equipped with two mops in one hand and a pail of water in the other.

"How come you aren't in class Shaoran. Are you late as well?" she said cheerfully. "I'm glad I'm not the only one that's late today," she admitted sheepishly.

He rolled his eyes. "Unlike you, I get to school at a reasonable time. I've been here studying for over an hour. I'm not in class because I have study period first."

Sakura stared at her key.

"How did you get into the supply room?"

"I'm class representative, that's how."

"Oh! Right."

He held the mop to Sakura's face.

"Let's get started."

Sakura nodded and smiled. He was like that sometimes. He could never get past his tough exterior. There were few moments when he'd actually let himself be at ease but Syaoran had his own ways of caring, Sakura knew that.

"Hey wai-" Syaoran muffled Sakura's mouth with his hand.

"Yes, I did expect you to be late. You are that predictable," he whispered. "Keep it down, if sensei finds out that I'm helping you we'll both get in trouble."

The two of them worked silently quickly mopping. They then bent down to wipe the floor with towels. Syaoran worked a little slower, he smiled a little watching Sakura run up and down the hall on all fours drying as fast as she possibly could.

"You'd better get to class now, you've missed thirty minutes already," he gripped her hand tightly before letting go.

She looked up at him, flustered. He was now five inches taller than she was at 5"11. It was actually quite cute. Sakura had actually grown taller than him in junior high but one day she just turned around and he had just sprouted up out of no where.

Syaoran already had his back to her, picking up the pail and towels. He straightened his posture and started walking, waving a single hand to acknowledge her gratitude.

Sakura smiled to the retreating image of his back.

.  
.  
.

"You finished cleaning awfully fast. Any madly blushing boys help you clean up? Let me guess, did he abruptly run away afterwards?" Tomoyo joked, alluding to Syaoran's childish tendencies

"Tomoyo," Sakura moaned embarrassedly.

"Kinomoto-san, thank you for volunteering. Please read the next passage aloud and state the cultural significance of the treaty."

Sakura grimaced as she stood up to read, glaring at Tomoyo darkly..  
.

.  
.

As the morning classes came to an end for Tomoyo and Sakura, Tomoyo took out her Japanese texts.

"So exactly how much punishment homework did Tarou-sensei give you? Do you need any help?" Tomoyo offered generously. "You're lucky we have study period right before lunch. I can help you finish in no ti- Hey where are you going?"

Sakura had started packing up her bag.

"You're going out in this weather? It's raining harder than it was this morning."

"I know, but I have to pick up something."

"Ah something to say, 'Thank you darling, for this morning?'"

Sakura's body froze for a second before she regained composure.

"Mm."

'Bingo,' Tomoyo thought mischievously. "Wait, Sakura!"

"Hmm?"

Tomoyo reached into Sakura's desk and handed Sakura her cell phone.

"Just in case something happens."

Sakura stumbled and bumped into Chiharu on the way out.

"Sorry," Sakura said and dashed out.

"What's with her?" Chiharu said as she tugged Yamazaki's hand.

"You two have gotten closer," Tomoyo said gesturing to their handholding.

"Yes, if Chiharu-san let's go of my hand, I'm afraid I'll get lost," Yamazaki joked.

"By the way, do you know if anybody is using the home economics classroom this afternoon?"

"No, the first years are watching a dress rehearsal for the school play this afternoon. Why?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Hey do you still have keys class representative?".  
.  
.  
. 

As the lunch bell sounded, Syaoran appeared at the classroom door precisely four minutes after the bell.

Tomoyo sighed. Predictable people were almost too easy to manipulate.

"Hey, have you seen Sakura?"

"Yes, I think she was checking out a book in the library."

"Thanks."

"Syaoran-kun? Why don't you leave your bag here."

He shrugged it off his shoulders.

"Thanks," he said as he dashed out.

Tomoyo reached into his bag and grabbed his cell phone. "No problem Syaoran-kun," she said to the empty room.  
.

.  
.  
.

Syaoran returned with a worried look on his face.

"She wasn't there."

"Oh, actually, I remembered incorrectly. She got held up in detention for talking while Tarou-sensei was lecturing. She told me that she'd meet up with you in the home economics classroom after school today."

"You have to stop setting her up like this you know."

"Oh, but she's so cute to tease, she's practically prompting me to. Don't you love it when her face goes pink and she starts attacking you with ineffectual fists?"

Syaoran ignored that last remark but his ears tinged pink.

"You know it well Syaoran-kun." She handed him his bag. "Are you going to study now?"

"Mm."

Tomoyo hummed happily..  
.  
.  
.  
.

Five minutes before the bell Sakura rushed into the classroom, hair and shoulders soaked.

"Have you seen Syaoran? He won't pick up his phone, he usually has it set to vibrate when we're in class."

"Yes, Hanada-sensei roped him into helping out with props for the drama club. They have a dress rehearsal next period."

"Oh," was all Sakura said, dejectedly.

"He said he'd meet you in the home economics class room after class."

"Okay," Sakura said as she carefully put her package under her desk.

"You know you're evil," Yamazaki whispered to Tomoyo.

"Thank you, a girl doesn't hear that enough these days," Tomoyo replied with a huge grin on her face. She pressed a finger against her lips.

"Now shush, one of them is coming."

Tomoyo and Yamazaki hid in an empty classroom across the hall from the home economics room.

Syaoran had proceeded to the classroom right after the bell.

Sakura stumbled along five minutes later. She paused outside the classroom to straighten her clothes quickly consulted her pocket mirror quickly. Hastily, the Clow mistress brushed her bangs away from her face. She had in tow a package she retrieved during the lunch break. Just as she entered the classroom door, the door slammed forcefully behind her and the lock 'clicked' from the outside.

Outside the classroom Yamazaki and Tomoyo were positively smug.

"This had better be worth it," Yamazaki said.

"Oh it will be, you wanted to know what Chiharu wanted for White Day didn't you?"  
.  
.  
.

Sakura leaned against the door and slid down. Syaoran rushed to her side.

"Hi," she said brightly.

"Hey," he replied as he offered her a hand up.

She brushed the dust off her uniform as Syaoran tried the door.

"Locked," he said undauntedly.

He spotted the package and handed it to her.

"Oh, actually, that's for you. I hope they didn't get wet."

Syaoran lifted the lid to reveal six chocolate pastries. As the sweet aroma filled the room Sakura's stomach let out a rumble.

"I guess I should have eaten something before class started," Sakura said laughing nervously.

They each took a pastry , Sakura with a bit more vigor than Syaoran.

"You're so messy," he said taking a napkin out of his pocket.

He placed his index finger and thumb on her chin and tilted her face closer to his as he wiped chocolate off the corner of her lips. Just as he caught her staring at him, they both became very aware of their proximity to each other.

He dropped his hand and looked away. She grabbed for it and he stole a glance at her.

"You'd think after so many years that this would get easier, wouldn't you?" Sakura said laughing lightly.

"Mm," Syaoran said as he leaned in for a deep kiss. "Sweet," he said smirking.

Sakura looked away embarrassedly while taking a bit of her pastry. The chocolate oozed onto her hands. Mischievously Syaoran took her hand and started to clean the chocolate off her fingers. He went slowly, digit by digit as Sakura squealed.

"Hey! That… tickles!"

The suckling stopped and Sakura looked up at her boyfriend with expectant eyes. Suddenly, things weren't so funny any more. Sakura stood on her tip-toes and tipped her face into his. His arms snaked around her waist as he pressed firmly but not harshly on her lips. They held the kiss for a few moments, not noticing the door creaking open.

A blinding flash filled the room as the couple separated themselves. Tomoyo smirked but at least Yamazaki had the decency to look embarrassed.

"The sunlight flooding in from the windows is really beautiful. It gives the picture such vitality. This is definitely yearbook material."

"Right. Carry on. So sorry for the intrusion," Yamazaki said hastily closing the door.

Sakura sighed. "Now what are people going to think?"

Syaoran kissed her lightly on the nose. "They'll think we have to do a lot of mopping."

And Syaoran was exactly right.

Owari


End file.
